Clinton’s challenge will be to balance a hopeful tone with an argument for change

But the challenge for Clinton and her newly minted running mate, Sen. Timothy M. Kaine (Va.), will be to avoid becoming cheerleaders for the status quo and instead infuse that hopeful tone into an argument for change that could galvanize a frustrated and divided electorate.

Democrats promise four nights of speeches and entertainment that will highlight the core theme of Clinton’s campaign: “Stronger together.” The program will alternate among political heavyweights led by President Obama and former president Bill Clinton, celebrities such as Katy Perry and Lena Dunham, and everyday Americans whose aim will be to make Clinton appear more appealing and approachable.

Clinton’s advisers are confident that the Philadelphia festivities will present a far more united Democratic Party than Republicans were able to display at their convention, which was repeatedly marred by outbursts of dissent and division.

Central to that mission is the Monday night speech by Sen. Bernie Sanders (Vt.), who is charged with trying to rally his fervent supporters behind Clinton’s banner after a bruising primary battle, although there is lingering resistance to Clinton among some of his loyalists.

The harsh tone of Trump’s convention — symbolized by the anti-Clinton chants of “Lock her up!” — gives the Democratic nominee-in-waiting and her allies an opportunity to expand her appeal to disaffected voters who are hungry for change but perhaps reluctant to embrace Trump and the brand of politics he enunciated in Cleveland. At the same time, the Democrats similarly risk overreach in their denunciations of Trump.

Another danger is that if protests outside the arena turn violent, it could mar the party’s effort to provide a united and relatively peaceful contrast to the Republican event.

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